Observations from a Mid-Coast Trip (Rockland, Camden: appointed, buying a house, buying) - Maine (ME) - City-Data Forum

221B · 02-27-2010, 07:21 AM

We just returned from a trip to the Mid Coast area, and thanks to all of your great input, I think we made very good use of our time.
Our purpose for this trip was to make a final decision on whether or not we could make a go of moving to Maine from Southern California.
In summary, I think the answer is 'Yes'.
We've done a fair amount of research, and this is our third trip, so we definitely tried to not get bowled-over (too much) by all the beauty, great folks and more relaxed atmosphere! We tried to look for 'potential negatives', and be realistic about the prospects of life in Maine.
There are some higher costs than CA such as health care (about double what it is here); and the automobile excise tax (what's up with that!).
But there are also lower costs, primarily the cost of housing. Property taxes vary so much by the local region, so you just have to be aware of the local mil rate.
Again, the folks who live in Maine are, by and large, very, very cool. It's similar to anywhere else; you need to be a friend in order to have friends. It just seems that people there are more approachable and open.
We went in mid-Feb hoping to see the worst of the winter, but were disappointed to find that it has been very mild for a couple months. So we'll just have to visualize a bit on how severe the snow and cold can be. That shouldn't be too hard, having visited other snowy locals before.
We visited Waldoboro, Pemaquid, Owls Head, Friendship, Rockland, Rockport, Camden and Lincolnville. All fine areas. Lot's of home possibilities. A very helpful realtor helped guide us through a lot of questions and home visits. He was a good listener.
Well, as I have any additional thoughts, I'll try and get them posted. In the meantime, I'll try and add any insight gleaned that may assist others in a similar search mode.

retiredtinbender · 02-27-2010, 08:13 AM

Glad to hear it was a good trip. Sorry about the winter thing. We'll try better next time. LOL

lovemaine · 02-27-2010, 08:13 AM

We visited Maine last February for DH's job interview and to make sure we wanted to make this move. We were also in the midcoast area (DH's interview was in Rockland). The day before we arrived in Maine there was a big snowstorm, so we did get to experience a real week of winter, which was great, especially coming from NC! This winter has been mild from what the locals tell me. We only had 3 significant snowfalls in Camden so far. The last few days it's been raining, and this morning it was hailing. Crazy weather!

We ended up buying a house in Camden and haven't had any regrets! Do you have school-aged kids? The schools for the Camden/Rockport area are excellent!

Good luck with your move. Hope everything works out for you. If you have any questions about this area, please don't hesitate to ask!

221B · 02-27-2010, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

Glad to hear it was a good trip. Sorry about the winter thing. We'll try better next time. LOL

You know, it was funny; as we spoke with people about the mild weather they would all immediately laugh and say just about the same thing… "We'll take it!"

dmyankee · 02-27-2010, 02:24 PM

This winter is just awesome!

retiredtinbender · 02-28-2010, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 221B

You know, it was funny; as we spoke with people about the mild weather they would all immediately laugh and say just about the same thing… "We'll take it!"

That's the general concensus around here. Easier to shovel this way and less gas for the snowblower. And the watertable is still up there.

dramamama6685 · 02-28-2010, 05:27 AM

Umm, take our snow, please. Ohio has the biggest snowfall for February on record and we made it to the top 10 winters of all time.

retiredtinbender · 02-28-2010, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dramamama6685

Umm, take our snow, please. Ohio has the biggest snowfall for February on record and we made it to the top 10 winters of all time.

No, you guys and my daughter can kee it all. No charge, no deposit, no return.

dramamama6685 · 02-28-2010, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

No, you guys and my daughter can kee it all. No charge, no deposit, no return.

GRR!!!

Bigfoot424 · 02-28-2010, 06:21 AM

One thing you should be careful about. Traffic. I'm not in Maine but visit frequently. I spent most of August 2009 there exploring the coast. I love some of the towns you mentioned. You might want to see these coastal towns in the summer during peak season. I couldn't believe the non stop traffic back up in Camden when I was there. It only has one main road running thru it so it couldn't be avoided. Other than that I love the state of Maine.